David desJardins is a mathematician and software engineer. He was among the first 20 employees at Google where he worked from 1999 to 2005. Since leaving Google, Mr. desJardins continues to engage with mathematical research and has been a private investor, an active philanthropist, and a supporter of many progressive groups and organizations.

Mr. desJardins and his wife Nancy Blachman are founders of the Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival, a program of math education and enrichment for middle and high school students. He is also a trustee of the University of California Berkeley Foundation, and a member of the MIT Corporation, the Institute’s board of trustees, and a member of the Scholars Strategy Network board. He has also been a member of the Democracy Alliance, an organization of progressive donors and movement leaders, since 2005, and currently serves on the organization’s board of directors. Mr. desJardins is a graduate of MIT where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, and the University of California at Berkeley, where he earned his PhD in Mathematics. His dissertation involved the analysis of a mathematical game, with applications to information theory.